Protecting clean water will be the focus of Miami Waterkeeper’s eighth annual State of the Water event, but the organization will also celebrate its biggest victory to date.
The event is set for 5:30-8:30 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Rusty Pelican, 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, when a panel of guests including clean water advocates, scientists and environmentalists will offer their solutions to protect the Everglades and Biscayne Bay from pollution, especially toxic chemicals.
Miami Waterkeeper is also rejoicing over its effort to stop a massive dredging project to expand Port Everglades, which scientists warned would destroy the staghorn coral reef.
Samantha Barquin, chief program officer for Miami Waterkeeper, said the organization gathered 35,000 signatures on a petition and joined other organizations in filing a lawsuit to stymie the project.
Barquin said the group has been raising this issue for a decade because the dredging should be done responsibly.
“The dredging could have hurt 10 million staghorn corals,” she said. “The signatures show how important the corals are to the environment and community.”
Barquin said coral reefs are valuable in several ways including protecting the community from storm surges by acting as a natural infrastructure and preserving energy.
“With hurricanes, especially in South Florida, corals have that natural infrastructure for storm surges,” she said.
The Port Everglades Navigation Improvements Project was designed to deepen the Outer Entrance Channel from 42 feet to 55 feet and widen it from 500 feet to 800 feet to accommodate big ships.
According to the Sun Sentinel, NOAA and Shedd Aquarium found roughly 10 million corals in and near the main channel, including some of Florida’s last natural staghorn coral populations.
Being endangered species, staghorn corals are functionally extinct statewide; queen conch breeding aggregations are also threatened.
Miami Waterkeeper, Earthjustice, Florida Wildlife Federation, and others have sued U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, alleging Endangered Species Act violations.
The Army Corps withdrew from the project until further notice.
“It was a huge win,” said Barquin. “It shows what’s possible when we work together. We protect water and corals through science, advocacy and legal action to hold polluters and the government accountable.”
The program includes a keynote speech by Miami Waterkeeper CEO Dr. Rachel Silverstein, as well as the presentation of the Porter Prize to Dr. Ross Cunning, honoring a local environmental champion who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in protecting South Florida’s waterways.
The panel also includes Dr. Jason Spingarn-Koff, University of Miami professor Dr. Andrew Baker and Dr. Phanor Montoya-Maya of the Coral Restoration Foundation.
To participate in the Miami Waterkeeper State of the Water event, visit miamiwaterkeeper.org or call 305-905-0856.
Business casual attire is required.